Newspaper Page Text
VOL. XXVIII.
AN ECONOMIC ERROR
IS FORCIBLY CITED
The Farmer Should Abandon the “Advance System”
and Buy For Cash Alone.
For many years ft has been the cus
tom of southern farmers to make
their crop upon the “advance system”
and while this has been regarded as
economic error on the side of the far
mer, by many merchants it has been
thought that it was a very profitable
wav of buying cotton.
The farmer realized that as a mat
ter of safety it was better to make
the food consumed by his family and
his stock upon the farm rather than
to purchase it and especially when he
had to promise payment out of a crop
which had not as yet been made. I
have been watching this phase of
country life in the south for many
years and have come to the conclus
ion that the “advance system” is just
as great a mistake on the part of rhe
merchant as it is on the part of the
farmer, for the following reasons: ■■*
Firbt, the merchant takes great
risks, which, of course, he tries to
cover by increased charges. But even
though these charges are increased,
the staples of life are not such articles
as a high percentage of profit will ad
here to, and the merchant is practic
ally trading gold for-a promise to pay,
If the crop fails, he is obliged to carry
and carry and carry and possibly may
ultimately, as in thousands of cases,
be obliged to take the farm,for which
he has no u-<e, and under boll weevil
conditions, is difficult to handle pro
fitably upon a tenant system.
Unite r a sash system there will be a
great reduction in the sales of some
staple foods such as bacon, potatoes,
beans, lard, vegetables, canned goods,
hay, corn, etc , all articles that carry
low prolits. The farmer is rarely a
hoarder of money and if he saves two
hundred collars or more by produc
ing all his food supplies at home he
has that much more to spend when
his crop is made, and it is cash.
Under a cash system the farmer
will buy with his surplus more dry
goods, clothing, shoes, furniture, etc.,
for his family, better teams, farm im
plements, buggies, wagons, etc., on
which there is much greater profit
for the merchant than on staple ar
ticles of food. The merchant can turn
his money in thirty days, instead of
a year. Ten per cent clear profit
turned monthly is better than 120 per
cent tfain received annually. Some
and tbvJjUTinei’sincreased income goes
iKiO pWrhmnent improvement to en
able the farmer to pioduoe more and
pend more annually. ...
/gain, there is something abfflH
raising cotton, tobacco, etc , to pay a
debt, that saps the vitality of the far
mer and affects the quality of his til
lege. It really lowers the grade of
i ambi.g. If upotvWie other hand the
merchants will jofu with us in urging
farmers to raise all their food sup
plies and try to prodnceJiy better til
lage double the cro|t per acre they
now produce, the res kx as it affects
the merchant will befmis:
All business will soon be on a cash
basis and the volqme will be three or
four times as large from the farmers
alone. The advent of more money
will bring diversified industries
among the farmers and eventually
will attract manufactures to the mar
ket towns. '
If there are idle farms in the county,
instead of calling meetings for the
purpose of raising fundstosecure im
migration, call meetings to encourage
the farmers who know the country
and are loyal to it, to universadv
adopt the following plan. First pro
vide their own food supplies from the
farm. Second, double'the average
product on every acre under culriva
tion and 1 t each worker on the farm
by the use of better teams and tools,
till thr< > 1 ones as many acres a at
j, rP g e) ii. r in the one crop but in a
t variety iiversified and profitable
c T 1 is world cause an immed
iate de-M :rl for more land and would
proved- the money to pay for it. This
makes . v rv man on the farm more
thkn i' ’ oes the industrial power
j,g tio v, i and gives him a love of the
fat ii'
j j-i} ! l ! not speak so positively',
onlv ! nee observed for a quarter of
a'cent * tv that where the southern
merchants have changed from an
•‘advance system” to a cash system,
they have prospered very much more
than in former years and the number
of failures is immensely less. Of
course, it is not meant that there
should be no credits, but practically
there should be little necessity for
them until the crop is actually ready
for the harvest, then trade becomes a
cash transaction. Or better still; the
farmer can get his money from the
bank and pay cash in all cases, if
there is a lack of ready money.
The advance system bears down
upon the cotton farmer with special
hardship. His crop is either sold at
once or is forced to the gin and the
warehouse so as to secure loans. If
the cotton farmer is not forced to sell
to raise money or pav debts he wiil
store his crop on his farm and market
at his leisure, which is in the inter
est of all parties.
It appears to me, therefore, that the
farmer will immeasurably gain when
nroduces wlmt he has hitherto
Kught in the way of living
He is not compelled to sell
his crop immediately upon the har
vest When he does sell he trades for
cash The greater amount of money
he has is verv helpful to the family
but the stimulus to his self respect is
nerhaps the most important item to
be considered. The merchant pros
pers bv the greater volume of busi
ness and by the quick return of his
money. It seems to me that these
points should be urged upon all the
people 8 - A - Knapp,
Special Agent in charge, Farmer’s
Cooperative Demonstration Work
T;;n Cartersville News
LETTER FROM A VETERAN.
Maj. P. H. Larey Makes Corrections Re
garding Fort Stedman.
Editor Cartersville (Ga.) Hews:
History should tell the truth. It
were better for the so’diers, the sons
of soldiers, the daughters of soldiers
who wore the gray worthily that the
incidents—facts developed in the war
of ’6l-65 remain unwritten rather
than stated carelessly or erroneously,
especially when it is remembered
that, in many cases, there is state
and confederate record of the same.
Let the chroniclers of the services,
the deeds, the heroism and fortitude
of Bartow county’s volunteers beware
how they trifle with honors won on
bloody fields under Lee, Johnston,
Stonewall Jackson and John B. Gor
don during four long years of Titanic
warfare which stamped the life of the
confederacy as an age of glory. Pens
guided by selfish thought orinvidious
hand dart, not essay to enter the
province of the historian of southern
chivalry. While he lives, tt.e eonfed
eiate soldier will guard truth and vir
tue and innocence with the same fi
delity that the vestal virgins in the
temple of Rome watched and fed the
sacred fire.
Correction—ln an article on first
page of your issue of December 17th,
1908, relative to the Bartow soldiers’
monument is found a grave error as
to facts, where the author, presum
ably, inadvertently, blunders when
referring to the successful attack on
Fort Stedman by Capt. Peter La rev
and his sharpshooters, he adds, “but
lie and his little band were captured.”
There is the mistake. Now here are
the facts as corroborated by Gen.
Lee s geueral order read next evening,
-aarch 25th, 1865, on dress parade,
and other orders and reports of like
I date of Gens. Gordon and Grimes,
j now on file in the confederate ar
j chives U. S. war department, Wash
! ington, D. C. General order said:
| “The commanding general takes
j pleasure in congratulating the army
on the distinguished intrepidity and
valor displayed by Capt. I*. H. Larey
and his lieutenants. Flowers and
Davis, in leading Rodes’ division line
sharpshooters--525 men rank and file
—in a successful midnight assault
against the enemy’s formidable works
fronting Fort Colquitt. With con
summate skill and fidelity" pfcKets
were noiselessly captured and sent to
the rear, obstructions surmounted,
and his whole command simultan
eously led into the enemy’s works,
suj pricing and capruring Fort Sted
man with sixteen pieces of brass ar
tillery and Fort Devil with twelve
pieces of cannon ordnance, together
with guards and garrison and three
fourths of a mile of main works on
each side of the two forts, capturing
and sending to our lines without
guard or escort thirty seven hundred
and thirty-five prisoners, with sharp
shooters' loss of only two men miss
ing, and in obedience to orders hold
ing the captured works until day
light for the entrance of other forces.
In every respect it was a remarkable
achievement and your commanding
general takes pride in pronouncing it
one of the most daring and brilliant
exploits of the war and commending
officer and men for conspicuous cour
age and gallantry.”
There you have t he facts—briefly—
of my sharpshooters’ midnight as
sault and capture of Forts Stedman
and Devil on the 24th and 25tn of
March, 1865. Much more might and
should be written concerning the
plans and purposes of our generals
und the resulting influence of my
sharpshooters’ demonstration on that
memorable night:
With kindest regards to my old
comrades and legions of appreciated
and appreciative friends, male and
female, of Bartow chapter Daughters
of the Confederacy,the most knightly
tribute of a soldier’s heart —the un
qualified expression of Ins gratitude
and praise fort the handsome shaft
| erected to the honor and memory of
| Bartow’s confederate soldiers—dead
! and living, tv. ay God bless each and
| every one of those patriotic, noble
j hearte J, accomplished and refined
ladies, whose spirit and names bear
the stamp of gray-haired sires and
queenly matrons—gentlemen and la
dies of the “old regime” of southern
honor and southern chivalry.
Your loyal comrade,
P. B. Larky.
Address 403 East 31st Street, Kansas
City, Mo.
>ie\v Board of Commissioner*.
The new board of commissioners of
\ roads and revenues held its first meet
' iug yesterday.
The new board is composed of the
I following gentlemen: G. H. Gilreath,
I J. 0. McTier, J. P. Worley, J, S. Ad
cock and J. W. Burns. Messrs. Gil
reath and McTier are the only mem
pers of the old board who are mem
| bers of the new board.
J. P. Worley was elected chairman
i and G. H. Gilreath clerk.
J. T. Forester resigned his place as
road superintendent and warden and
| G. W. Covington was elected to the
place.
Episcopal Services.
Service of prayer at St. Mark's
1 Episcopal church tonight at 7 o;clock.
I All welcome.
Regular service at the Episcopal
chureti at 11 a. in. on Sunday. The
rector will preach. The church will
! be closed at night as the rector has
j beeu invited to preachat the “union”
| service at the Baptist church.
CARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1909.
THE OKRA FIBER
Plant Proven Successful
Material for Paper.
Steps Being Taken to Establish H l’aper
Mill at Macon, to He Near
Okra Fields.
There has been no little curiosity
to know the result of the actual test
of paper-making from the okra
planted by Mr. John T. Moore last
summer.
As is known, Mr. Moore planted
one hundred acres in that kind of
okra that grows to a large size and
height, with a view to the use of the
fibre for the manufacture of paper.
He had read often of the scarcity
throughout the country of the trees
from which the fibre is obtained for
paper-making, and of the numerous
experiments being made to find some
thing that would take the place of
the fast disappearing trees. Be read
somewhere that the corn sthlk was
too light and the cotton stalk too
heavy, and of the failures of other
material. He also read of the okra
stalk being as near the right material
as had been found. To make the ex
periment, and having the land to
spare, he planted the on.. hundred
acres in okra. It was his first plant
ing, and if any mistake was made at
all it w*as in the placing of the seed
too far apart, making the yield per
acre less than it should have been.
He theft secured a machine for the
stripping and preparation for ship
ment and conversion into the paper
pulp. The machine did its work,
and he whipped six tons of the stripped
and crushed stalks to a paper mill at
Buena Vista, Va., so that it could be
given a thorough trial.
It was anew material for this mill
to work with, and some of the fibre
was used up in the experiments. At
last the handling was learned and he
has received samples of the paper
pulp, the first stages of paper making.
With the samples was sent samples of
the same stage in the wood pulp.
The difference is clearly shown in fa
vor of the okra, from which a much
finer grade of paper can be made.
Paper men say that it will be used
for the finer qualities of paper, being
entirely too good to be used for the
newspaper grades.
Mr. Moore will receive samples of
the actual paper made from his okra
in a few days. It was his purpose to
furnish The Telegraph with a suffi
cient quantity to run off an edition of
• the paper, if it arrived in time for
i Christmas day.
j The planting of that one hundred
j acres of okra will result now in the
esnsbrfsliiueut at Macon of a pnpvr
mill. Mr. Moore will plant three
thousand acres in okra near Macon,
and more on land that he owns it;
other-, counties. In addition there
are others who will also plant heavily
the coining summer and ihe V 'll will
want to begs near the fields as possi
ble.
in the experiment just tried, it de
veloped that sixty per cent of the
material is the yield of paper. It has
been demonstrated that it pays to
plaut okra.—Macon Telegraph.
THE COTTON SCHOOL.
Prizes Offered By the Institution For
Displays and Proficiency.
A series of prizes have been offered
by the merchants of Athens for var
ious competitions which will be con
ducted during the Farmers confer
ence to be held in Athens from Jan
uary 18 to 23 at the State College of
Agriculture. These prizes will be
awarded in gold and the following
competitions have been arranged for:
For the best individual display of
seed corn raised by the exhibitor,
first prize $ 12.00; second prize $8.00;
third prize £5 00.
For the best individual display of
cotton fiber raised by the exhibitor,
first prize $12.00; second prize $8.00;
third prize $5.00.
To rhe farmer showing the greatest
proficiency in judging corn, first
prize SI2JH); second prize, $8.00; third
prize, $5.00.
To the farmer showing the greatest
proficiency in the sampling and grad
ing of cotton, first prize, $12.00; sec
ond prize, $8.00; third prize, $5.00.
To the farmer showing the greatest
proficiency in judging live stock, first
prize, $12.00; second prize $8.00; third
prize, $5.00.
Junior contests in corn and cotton
grading for farmers’ boys between
the ages of twelve and eighteen, first
prize, sl2; second prize, $8.00; third
prize, $5.00.
It is believed that these competi
tions will stimulate the rapidly grow
ing interest evidenced at the present
time in the improvement of corn and
cotton by means of selection. The
contest on the judging and grading
of the cotton is one worthy of spec
ial attention on the part of the far
mers as it constitutes a compara
tively new line of work. These
prizes will make it possible for a
number who attend the Cotton
School and Farmers’ Conference to
practically receive their instruction
free. Any one wishing to enter
should notify the undersigned as
soon as possible.
Andrew M. Soule,
President.
State College of Agriculture, Athens,
Ga., December 19, 1908.
Was Ninety-Three.
Mr. Antonio Camarata died, at his
son’s home, in this city, Monday, De
cember 28. Mr. Camarata was ninety
three years old. He was the father
of Joseph and V. Comarata, the well
known fruit merchants. He came to
Cartersville ten years agodfrect from
his foreign home in Termi Immerse,
Sicily, Italy, to spend his old age
with his sons. His remains were in
terred at Oak Hill.
Fill HILL BE IN RACE
Cherokee Circuit Judge
For Congress.
Says It Is Too Karly, Now to Make For
mal Aiiuounceinent— No Roasou
For Resigning Judgeship.
It is now certain that Judge A. W.
Fite, of tbits city will be in the race
for congress from this district. He
says he will not resign the judgeship
and gives his reasons therefor.
There have been numerous rumors
regarding Judge Fite’s probable can
didacy for congress in the coining
race, and his name being frequently
suggested by his fellow-citizens all
over the district as a suitable man
forthe place, ihe News, in order to
ascertain his attitude and inform its
readers of the same, a few days ago,
asked him the pointed question if it
was his intention lo enter the race.
The judge said; '
“It is my intj i : *’on to run for con
gress next time, L it it (s too early to
make a form;: •nounceinent; and,
•besides, there re .••• many candidates
and prospective candidates I prefer
to wa t and sec the line up.”
“Will you re : gn 1 1,judgsbip if you
enter the race'.'’’- •vs th 1 question pro
pounded by tin- News. The Judge
Sited:
“It is not my intention to resign
the jud.eship before the nomina
tion. Why should 1 resign? ‘ There
is no precedent in this district for it,
and what right has one to resign an
office to which the people hive elected
him, unless they so desire or are
willing tor him to resign? Of course
if the people should nominate me for
congress that would bean expression
of their desire or willingness for me
to re-igu the judgeship, and I would
then do so.”
MRS. PEARL DEWEESE JONES,
A Beautiful Life Goes Out With the Toll
of New Year Hells.
As the bells were joyously ringing
in tile N jw Year of 1909 -all Emerson
was saddened and silent, forthe spirit
of one we. all loved was hovering at
the portal of another world. Mrs.
Pearl Dyweepe Jones—wife of Melvin
Jones—who jte.l long been one of us,
was listening ior the Id aster’s voice,
saying' It i enough, come up high
er,’ and thou she spent but four
hours of the V.v year wi!h us, it
■ comfoafs us to. Link of her l’ar hap
pier fllrhde Ctl ’ tat land beyond..the
sun, where u ted to her two little
girls gone Ljs. r o he is radiant with
the joy can never more be
.• <1 • ”.*!> tears, pa ov t .avow.
Though she was bur thirry'-ilftH 'yrars
of age her life had been one of far
greater usefulness than many who
have lived out their ilmv Score and
ten, She has been a faithful member
of the Methodist church since her
early girlhood, ever looking after the
comfort of her minister and family,
ad always ready with help for the
poor aud needy.
As we journey on here one of the
hardest things to bear is the severing
of those human ties that are grown
and so interwoven within us that
they seem a “part and parcel” of our
very being. Hut that we know that
our merciful and allwise Father
makes no mistakes we would falter,
and shrink from these painful dis
pensations,
in speaking of her illness a dear
friend said: “In all my acquaintance
1 know of no one who couldn’t be
better spared—no one so needful to
her loved ones. She was a most de
voted wife and mother—the stay and
comfort of her husband and the guid
ing spirit of her children. She was
a kind and loving sister, but no
where was her loving kindness and
tender thoughtfulness more fully
seen than in her never failing gra
ciousneas to her mother. Her effic
iency in every walk of life was an
ever increasing source of wonder to
those who knew her best. But God
has seen fit to call her and long will
we miss, with saddened hearts, her
cheery smile and neighborly kind
ness. It is God who lias smitten and
he alone can heal, and may his com
forting grace be abundantly given to
the stricken husband, mother, sisters
and two little hoys who are too
young to realize the loss they have
sustained.
“Auother link is broken,
In their household band
But a brighter chain is forming
In a better land.”
One who knew and loved her.
Emerson, Ga., Jan. 4th, 1909.
Rev. W. A . Cleveland Resigns.
Rev. \V. A. Cleveland resigned the
pastorate of the Presbyterian church
last Sunday morning, the resigna
tion to take effect the first' of June,
j The resignation was a great surprise
!to iiis church and congregation. He
said he would not give his reasons
I for resigning at present but would do
iso later. It is not known as yet what
! Mr. Cleveland will do when he finally
relinquishes the pastorate of the
church here but it is well known that
he has had a number of very batter
ing offers to go elsewhere. Mr. Cleve
land has served here for several years
and has been very popular not alone
among his own denomination but
among the people of all denomina
tions. He has shown himself a pulpit
orator of force and a zealous, conse
crated pastor.
Card of Thanks.
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Wigley wish
to express through the columns of
your paper, their thanks to the peo
ple of Stilesboro for the kindness
shown in the sickness and death of
their daughter, Mrs. J. T Weems.
Their kindness will ever be remem
bered by the father and mother and
also husband of the deceased.
CONGRESS AND THE
GOOD ROADS QUESTION
The Farmers’ Campaign Fur National Highways
Headed By the Grange.
' IMPORTANT DECISION.
Court of Appeits Holds That Sale of Malt
Liquors is Unlawful.
In a far-reaching decision of the
state court of appeals, handed ( down
Tuesday morning, two very impor
tant points bearing on the prohibi
tion laws of the state, were specific
ally decided.
One is, that when a person sells
malt liquors, such sale is prima facie
unlawful, and the burden rests upon
the defendant to prove that the malt
beverage sold is not intoxicating.
The other is, that the sale of malt
liquors to minors, whether intoxicat
ing or not, is unlawful.
The opinion in the case was written
by Chief Judge Benjamin H. Hill,
and was concurred in by lodge Ar
thur G. Powell. The third member
of the court, Judge Richard B. Rus
sell, dissented, and announced that
he would later file his dissenting
opinion.
DECISION FAR-REACHING.
The case which brought out the
decision was that of Stoner versus
the state, and came up from the su
perior court of Gordon couuty.
Stoner was indicted in Gordon
county, and in the indictment, was
charged with “unlawfully selling
Cook’s Malt Ale, Bud and near-beer,
the same being malt liquors.”
A demurrer was filed to the indict
ment, on the ground that it failed to
allege that the limit liquor was in
toxicating, which is the same as con
tending that it is the duty of the
state to prove the intoxicating qual
ity of the beverage sold.
Judge Fite, who was presiding in
the case, overruled the demurrer,
and it was his ctiou which was
brought up for review.
The opinion handed down Tuesday
rooming, sustains the ruling of Judge
Fite, which means that the state
has only to prove the said of a malt
j liquor to make it unlawful under the
I statute, and that the burden rets
! upon the defendant to prove that the
I malt liquor is not intoxicating.
The decision will be far-reaching,
j because it changes the party upon
j whom is to r< st the burden of proof,
i In previous cases, when the state has
I instituted proceedings for violation
I of the prohibition laws, it has been
i one of the duties of the state’s avtor
j ney tf~ establish the fact that the
j bc ei-ft;,!.; iu quentou, if drunk to ex
! cess. wrtLproJusy iutoißia^ion.
Under the opinion of Judge. Hah
the state, in the future, will have to
establish no such tiling. When it is
established that the defendant Ims
sold a malt liquor, that in itself un
der tlie decision, is unlawful, and it
becomes the duty of the defendant to
prove affirmatively that the malt bev
erage in question, is not intoxicating.
The point as to the unlawfulness of
sale of malt liquors to minors,
whether sai l liquors be or not intoxi
cating, was incidental to the main
question, but is none the less impor
tant. This point is based not upon
the prohibition act of 1907, but upon
a law passed back in the seventies.
KYALS CONNER.
Bartow Comity Voting Mini Wins Distinc
tion in School Course.
An Atlanta special to the Macon
Telegraph says: Friends of J. Ltyals
Connor, son of Hon. J. J. Connor,
former member of the legislature
from Bartow county, have been
pleased to hear that li will complete
his post graduate course at the Johns
Hopkins University next spring aud
will be given the Ph. D. degree in
mathematics. The degree will he
conferred when the 1901) commence
ment exercises take place.
Mr. Connor graduated from the i
University of Georgia in the class ol j
1898, and entered Johns Hopkins for |
a post graduate course in 1906. In j
1907 he won the fellowship of his j
class, as its most proficient student, i
In 1908 he won two fellowships, one j
being given by courtesy on the part j
of the board of trustees, of the Uni- j
versity.
For 1909 he has already been given |
the Carnegie scholarship, which had |
never before beeu given to a student
prior to the time when he made his
degree.
It is unusual for a student at Johns
Hopkins to win the Ph. D. degree in
th ree years.
UNCLE REMUS MEMORIAL.
Appeal to the Feople of Georgia For
Funds For This Worthy Cause.
To the People of Georgia:
The-Uncle Remus Memorial Asso
ciation makes this, its first appeal to
the people of Georgia, for assistance
in its effort to suitably honor the
name and memory of Joel Candler
Harris, who did more to charm, in
terest and instruct the children, not
only of Georgia and the southland,
but of the whole world, than any j
other writer of any age. They pur- j
pose to buy and preserve his old home
“Snap Bean Farm” so that in years
to come, all who loved the writings
of Uncle Reiuus, may have an oppor
tunity to visit the scenes of his la
bors. The plan is to raise the needed
fund by a popular subscription, so
that all may have a part in the move
ment. All contributions will lie ac
ceptable. Some can and will give
more than others; all can give some
thing. Let every one who reads this
and Is interested in the movement
and wishes to see it a success, send
his or her amount to Col. R. J. Lowry,
Treasurer, in care of Lowry National
Bank, Atlanta, Ga. Yours truly,
J. G. Lester, Secretary.
A Washington special to the New
York Sun says: If bills in congress
a e shadows of coming events, the
time may not be far distant when
ttie national government will be en
gaged in road building in every state
ii the country. Some thirty bills re
lating to the matter were introduced
during the last session. All w re re
ferred to committees and buried in
committee roo i pigeonholes. None
has got as far as consideration on the
floor, but the discussion of the post
office appropriations and the appro
priations for the department of agri
culture gave opportunity for speeches
on the subject.
Some of the bills introduced called
for the distribution of the [.resent
treasury surplus among the state ex
el siVely for the purpose of building
public roads. Others called for the
creation of a bureau of public high
ways and for national aid in road
construction or for state and na
tional co-operation. There w'ere calls
for a national highways commission,
for federal loans to states, for specific
appropriations, and Mr. (lockran, of
New York proposeu an automobile
highway from coast to const About
four-ufths of the proponents repre
sented districts in thja south, an indi
cation that state rights are •forgotten
when money is wanted from the fed
eral treasury.
T hyp re is no question that good
roads in all parts of the country
would represent, a saving of hundreds
of millions of dollars to the American
people. There are mere than 2.000,-
000 miles of roads in thel United
States, and less than 8 per cent of
the total is In the class known as
“improved roads,” that is, treated
with macadam, gravel, sand, clay or
other material. A large percentage,
perhaps as much as 60 per cenb, of
all the products of the country is
hauled by wagon for a longer or a
shorter distance. Investigate n has
shown that the average haul over
wagon roads is eight miles and that
the average cost, i* 25 ceu's a ton
mile. It is asserted that good roads
would reduce this cost, to cents a
ton mile. The saving on corn alone
iis estimated at $12,700,000 year, on
wheat $10,250,000, and on cotton
: $5,u00.000.
i The enormous economy oi good
i road is so obvious that argument of
| the matter is superfluous, out it
would cost a trout •vlh,oou,o? <.odt to
i macadamize our entire syst ;u. This,
however, is not proposed. There are
cheaper but stdl effective - .'terns,
known as sand clay road.-? a,. > oumfc
Huy' roads; ihe of ..which is from
SIOO to $.*500 a"mne. Tt*e appeal to
the central government is made
mainly on the ground that the com
munities most m lie- and of good roads,
are least able to pay for tneui. New
Y rK, with its large population wf
well-to-do people, can afford the
sso,ooo,ooo which has been voted by
that state for highway improvement*
The expense of constructing any
thing Uke an adequate system iu
most states of tlm suutn and west
would reduce tneir inhabitants to
beggary. The natural desire for an
improvement of their economic con
dition nd a realization of their in
au.iity to pay for what they want
brings into the Held the National
Grange, wit u membership of more
than a million farmers, and tiie Far
mers Educational and Cooperative
Union, with demands that tlmir rep
resentatives in congress insist upon
federal appropriation#.
The little end of the wedge in this
matter appears in connection* with
the rural free delivery system of the
postal service. These routes n>w
cover more than 925,000 miles of dirt
roads and carriers make their rounds
ove them every week day. Sonus
routes have beeu abandoned because
of the impassabilitv of the roads.
The supreme court ha# cieariy de
clared the power of the federal gov
ernment to contract interstate High
ways, and the emigres is empowered
by the constitution “to establish
post offi es and post roads ” Here is
the opening for the farmers’ cam
paign for national highways, the
[lower of congress to ooustruct inter
state roads ami to establish post
roads. The quality of the post road
is not specili and, but it may be as
sumed that the farmer has the same
right to demand the quick delivery*
wnich is possible only over a good
road that tue business community
has to demand fast mail trains and
frequent delivery by city carriers.
it may or may not be several years
before this question comes to a focus
in Washington, but the matter is be
fore the country with a strong back
ing in the rural districts. It is prob
able that the movement will gather
force from year to year, aud it is by
no means beyond the bounds of pos
sibility that an early day will see the
federal government building roads in
all parts of the country*. The Amer
ican farmer is a patient Citizen, but
he is a persistent individual when he
goes on a trail of a federal appropri
ation.
Masonic Officers.
At the regular meeting of CarterS
ville lodge No. 03 F. A A. M. in the
hall on December 15th, the election
of officers was held with the follow
ing result:
J. S. Calhoun—Worshqiful Master.
E. Matthews —Senior Warden.
W. C. Walton —Junior Warden.
H. C. Nelson—Senior Deaeou,
Lucius Hannon —Junior Deacon.
M. F. Word—Senior Steward.
G. G. Ward—Junior Steward.
G. W. Waldrup—Secretary.
O. A. Neel—Treasurer.
Rev. W. A. Cleveland—Chaplain.
O. R. McElroy—Tyler.
NO. 7